Friday, April 29, 2011

Hygeia Enjoye Breast Pump Review

Picking a breast pump was one of the most confusing choices in the baby registry process. As a soon-to-be working mom, I knew that my breast pump and I needed to be best friends, and any frustration I had with a pump would be multiplied by many pumping sessions, many days a week and (I hope) many months. With that said, I know that not everyone is able to breastfeed, and I although I was committed to doing everything I could to make it work for us, there was a chance that I'd spend a lot of money on a pump that I would never end up using. I started researching pumps and at first, figured that I'd end up with a Medela pump- it seemed like almost everyone I knew had used it, and liked it just fine. I'm sort of an obnoxious over-researcher though, and I couldn't find anyone that LOVED it. One of my favorite momma bloggers, however, posted a glowing review of her pump, and I was intrigued. I had never heard of the company, Hygeia, but after clicking around and learning about them I was definitely impressed.

Here are the reasons I thought the Hygeia Enjoye pump would be awesome before I chose it:
1. This company stands behind its product. The pump comes with a 21-day guarantee that you will love it, and if you don't, and they can't find a different pump of theirs that you DO love, you can return it (used!). There is also a THREE YEAR warranty against defects.
2. The Hygeia is a green pump. I had never thought about it, but as breast pumps are generally single-user products, there are a whole lot of pumps (many barely used) sitting in landfills. The Hygeia is designed to be a multi-user pump. All of the parts that touch milk or mom can be swapped out, so the pump can be sold or passed down to a new user who only has to purchase a "personal accessory kit" for $30. Rentable hospital pumps are designed this way, and it's crazy to me that more pumps aren't. If you don't want to sell your pump, you can return it (free) to Hygeia when you're finished with it and they'll recycle it for you.
3. Hygeia is a small company that I feel good about supporting, and they have great customer service. I've had nothing but awesome and personalized service from them from day one, including the availability of lactation consultants if needed.
4. The pump bag is cute. Yes, lame, but I plan to carry this thing to work four times a week for a year or more... it will probably become my only work bag, so I might as well like the way it looks.

I received my pump in the mail a couple of weeks before my due date, checked it out, was sort of overwhelmed by the whole thing having never really seen a pump before, and stuck it back in its bag. I planned to pull it back out when my little guy reached four weeks, which is when my lactation consultant recommended starting the process of getting him used to bottle feeding. Unfortunately, due to some drama surrounding delivery, I needed to be away from my baby and pump earlier than that. Once I was reunited with my babe, it was recommended that I continue the pumping in addition to breastfeeding in order to ensure a good supply. I used the hospital pump while I was there, and because the lactation consultant was adamant that I really needed a high quality pump for my purpose, was all set to rent it and bring it home when she asked what kind of pump I had at home. When I mentioned that I had the Hygeia, she was super impressed and said there would be no need to rent the hospital pump!

Now that I've had a chance to really use this pump (starting one week postpartum), here's why I love it:
1. The lactation consultant's enthusiasm about the pump made me feel really confident about it. It's a professional-grade pump.
2. It's completely simple to use. I definitely admit to being overwhelmed at first, but once I actually attempted it, I had a "wait, that's it?" moment. Definitely nice during the early confusion-filled days of mommahood.
3. The parts are super easy to clean- I hear this isn't the case with all pumps.
4. The pump comes with two wide mouth bottles to pump into and also converter rings to use with smaller mouth bottles. I have yet to find a bottle that I can't use with it (Medela, Ameda, Dr. Brown's, and Snappies are the ones I've used).
5. The rechargeable battery means I can pump where ever I want and don't have to worry about finding a convenient outlet or the additional step of plugging it in. It's also lightweight and everything fits easily in the bag with plenty of room to spare.
6. They really did think of everything: it comes with a bottle holder, and in addition, a plastic piece on the front of the pump folds out to hold a flange. When you're balancing a pumping session on the couch or in bed, this makes all the difference between spilling and saving your liquid gold.
7. The pump has this totally unique and clever "CARE" system. That stands for "Customized Audio Recording Experience". Basically you can record your baby crying and play it back when you are pumping to help with your letdown.

Drawbacks:
1. I find the motor a bit noisy. Other reviews of this pump remark about how quiet it is, so maybe other pumps are even noisier... I wouldn't know. Sometimes I throw a blanket or pillow over the pump once I set the dials how I want them.
2. The CARE recording buttons are large and right on the front and I always bump the record and play buttons so I have random recordings of us talking and it makes me jump when I play them back by mistake.

I know this isn't a mainstream pump, so if you are have any questions about it I'd be happy to help. Overall, I'm so glad that I decided to go out on a limb and give this pump a try... I'm super happy with it. Given how awesome it is, you might think that it would be really expensive, but it's on par with some of the higher quality Medela pumps, and can be found on sale from time to time (Zulily had it recently).

{Full Disclosure: After choosing this pump (I actually registered for it and everything), I contacted the company to see if they would be interested in giving me a pump in exchange for an honest review- and they agreed! Please be assured though, that I'm under no obligation to give this pump a positive review, and if I didn't like it, I'd let you know.}

20 comments:

wow, I cannot believe they gave you the pump in exchange for this post!!! I asked them the exact same thing before I purchased mine and got turned down because there are 'too many bloggers' doing this already. Bummer!!

But I am glad you love it. And trust me, the motor is like a mouse compared to most other pumps. I have a Medela old school one, too, and it's way noisier. And yes, the CARE button always got pushed with me, too, and it was entertaining to hear random conversations it recorded.

Ok, here's the next generation back: E's mom! As she has told you, I was the lucky lady who got to spend extra time with a beautiful grandson, wonderful daughter, and stellar son-in-law...and yes, my grand-dog, Dunks, too! I had a very modest pump 29 years ago, but loved it all the same because of what it allowed me to do. This Hygeia is the gold standard, and I was thrilled that it worked so wonderfully for my daughter when things around us were quite kooky.

I just got mine in the mail on Tuesday! My son will only take breastflow bottles, which are not compatible unfortunately, but basically every other big name bottle out there is. I'm glad you like it and congrats on getting one for free!

I really wish that you had been pregnant before me so that I could have taken all of YOUR advice! You are such a great researcher and I feel so inadequate now. I wish I had really looked into so many of my products just a tad bit more. And so awesome you got it for free!

Thanks for this review! It and the one on Julia's blog are really helpful as I search for a pump. Just wanted to put one thing out there for anyone else who might be thinking about buying this pump as well -- their 21 day guarantee is actually a little funky. I called Hygeia today to ask about it because I wanted to make sure I understood it before plunking down $320. Turns out you can only return the pump itself, not any of the parts - even though the pumps necessarily come with the tote and parts. Specifically, if you buy the $319 LBI and are not satisfied, you can only return the pump for a credit of $230. You are stuck with the tote and the pump parts. The tote is at least theoretically reusable, but being stuck with the pump parts, which can't be used with another brand, is pretty pointless. They also make you pay the shipping if you received free shipping on the item (meaning, the shipping they incurred to send it to you - this is in addition to whatever it costs to send it back on your end). I suspect this pump is great (there are so many great review) and I haven't decided not to buy it yet, but these are definitely negatives in my view. It's $100 out of your pocket, give or take, if you decide to return it. Just thought others considering this pump would want to know that!

I just got mine this week and like it so far too! I have noticed some condensation though, and something almost looking white-ish. That's not supposed to happen right? I've tried running the pump without it being attached like the guide recommends but it doesn't seem to help. Thoughts?

Hi Lauren, I noticed the same thing after using the pump for awhile. I cleaned the tubes out and it happened again... but only after a couple of months. I don't think it's causing any problems so I guess I'm not worried about it... you could try contacting them though, they've been really helpful and @hygeiakate is always on twitter. HTH!

Hey - I purchased my Hygeia after Julia's and your reviews. Love it! But after using it 4 times a day for the past 4 months I've noticed some build up between the flange area and the screw top for the bottles. (the straight down piece?) Did/are you having any of this? I tried to get a tiny bottle brush in there to clean it out but it built back again. Also wanted to ask someone who's put some good use on theirs, have you noticed the battery not lasting as long as it used to? Just recently noticed I had to charge it more recently than before. Just thought I'd ask... Thanks!!

PS. totally forgot this but you mention the plastic piece that pulls out to hold a flange. WHAT?! How have I never figured this out before, I have been using this pump for like 6 months and could never figure out what that was and why they put that on the front! :) I just chalked it up to some weird design. I'll have to test this out tonight. Oh and to stop the random recordings especially when stuffed into a suitcase, I've taped a particularly attractive Odwalla bottle cap on top of the play and record buttons. :) Fits over both of them perfectly, but does make it look a bit white trash I'll admit.

Hey Theresa! Too funny, I also have a soda bottle cap taped over my play button! It's so much better now that that thing isn't going off at random times. I know the buildup you're talking about...I am usually lazy and put the parts in the dishwasher, but about once a week I give them a long soak in some hot soapy water and then use a bottle brush to get down in there, which seems to work pretty well. I also agree about battery life, I can get away with charging once a week now, but I used to go a lot longer. Overall I am still happy with the pump...although I wish hygeia made a 8-9 oz bottle for pumping into!

I read on another review that a contact lens case can cover those pesky play and record buttons. It didn't have any details on how she attached it, but just an idea for you guys.

Also, I was looking at the Hygeia website and don't quite understand the differences between the LBI (Internal Rechargeable Battery), EPS (External Power Supply), and EXT (External battery Pack) other than those breif descriptions. Does the LBI also include an external power supply? (Can you still use it with the wall charger if the lithium battery dies?)

Mom’s be warned!!!! My wife has had constant issues with the Hygeia pump and have had it for less than 7 months. They even say to use MEDELA parts with it to make it work better!!! 2 days ago the plastic piece that the filter connects to cracked and they are not warranting it!!!!!! Now we have to go out and buy a whole new pump.